How to use and maintain a chainsaw

Just a super quick post today about chainsaws. Sort of a halloween theme right? Well I suppose saws are more useful than chasing screaming children around a corn maze.

Like many people I spend a fair amount of time sawing dead fall and pruning every year. Previously I had always taken my saw to the dealer to get service done and to get my blades sharpened, however I am very interested in starting to learn how to do these myself.

I purchased a chain saw sharpening tool that attaches to the end of a dremel and I will be reviewing that in an upcoming video, so watch out for that.

eHow definitely has the best collection of videos on using and maintaining a chainsaw.

Hey, just wanted to make one comment… (Sorry, its kind of a rant)
I’ve always sharpened my saw using a hand file. My opinion is that it helps the blade last longer. I am assuming that using electrical tools disconnects you from your tools and you can remove more material from your blade than is necessary. Items like the compound miter saw looking chainsaw sharpeners take away material from each blade whether it is sharp or not… using a hand file is cheaper, doesnt require electricity, and can be done in the field- if you are out all day long, you might need to sharpen 2 or 3 times throughout the day… and dull tools are dangerous.

Another thought is that the survival podcast and this show seem to be about getting back to our roots, redundancy, back up plans, doing things that way our grandparents would… So when the ice storm comes and the power goes out, I hope you can use that hand file to sharpen your blades and cut the snot out of anything blocking your path! (Including zombies if you’d like 😉 )